Here is a little tidbit for you. Call and get your $5 Directv Rebate! After Eric Shanks, DIRECTV’s executive vice president for entertainment, committed that Directv would not drop a HD channel this year to make room for the NFL games, it has done so. Apparently, TNT HD is dropped to make room for the NFL games on Sunday. Here is one link http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/33787/113/

OK PTIers, Now DirecTv is on my list. Want to hear my story? Here it goes….

I bought my new DLP 62 inch television, and I was excited. Now it was time to get some HD programming. As a long time DirecTv customer (almost 10 years), I was excited to get the new HD dish and Receiver/DVR installed so that I could begin watching as much HD content.

I called Directv and scheduled an appointment for installation. Needless to say they were so busy that I had to wait 10 days before someone could get out to the house with the dish and the box. We got a Saturday appointment and they told me to be at home between noon and 4. The installer arrived and went to work. Three hours later, the guy had me up and running….well sort of. For some reason I could only get a signal from the odd transponders! This means that I only get about half of the channels that I was supposed to get!

The installer told me that he did not have the right multi-switch and that I would have to call Directv and notify them of this and set up another appointment. So now, I have two dishes on my roof! An HD dish that is delivering half of the HD content to my new box, and my old tried and true round dish delivering the signal to my other TVs. The neighbors aren’t real happy with the appearance, but it is only for a week, right?

The following Saturday, the guy shows up and says that he has the correct parts, and it will only take five minutes to install the correct switch and remove my round dish. Great! I will be watching HD content on all my channels in not time, right? Wrong.

It turns out that after installing the new multiswitch I now get half of the HD channels and my regular Directv televisions no longer get a signal! What in the heck is going on? I call the installer and he says reset my boxes…didn’t work. He said that he would come back by to fix the issue…. never heard from him again. Oh, by the way, my buddies are on the way over to watch the Final Four games. Needless to say I didn’t see either of the games last night. Can someone tell me who is going to be playing in the National Championship?

I called Directv to complain. The very BEST that they could do for me is schedule another (the third mind you) installation…. NEXT SUNDAY! Easter Sunday?? I told her to come get her dish and her box and cancel my subscription. 3 repair visits and I can’t get any priority treatment? Not… I told her that I was switching to Comcast. She immediately told me that she could process the cancellation, but would be forced to charge me a $300 deactivation fee! Can you believe this? A deactivation fee for something that has not worked or been activated! Does she really think that I am going to miss the Masters and the National NCAA Championship cause they can’t get anyone out, and there equipment doesn’t work?

PTIers, I am leaving Directv. Comcast, here is your chance.

Can anyone give me the process to send this equipment back, and avoid the $300 charge! Help me. Any contract lawyers reading this? I never signed anything. Help me get out of this doggone contract PTIers. Like Ryan Seacrest…. I am out!